


oh, it's floating in the air

by bodhirookes



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, F/F, Fluff, M/M, kind of, punk/nerd AU, this is mostly Daichi and Suga being sweet idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-09
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-08-07 14:46:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7718929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bodhirookes/pseuds/bodhirookes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daichi has an entire flower shop convinced (mostly) that he shops there only because his friend, Kiyoko, really loves their flowers.</p><p>This is not the case. Just a partial truth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	oh, it's floating in the air

**Author's Note:**

> Second installment in the fichelp's writing week. I chose to do both the Flower Shop and the Punk/Nerd AU prompts. I hope you enjoy :-) 
> 
> Title is from the song Clementine by Sarah Jaffe.

Every time that Daichi approaches Tsukishima’s Tsubakis, he gets the sweats.

 

It’s entirely his fault, of course; he frequents the flower shop under the guise of Kiyoko loving the way their lotus flowers are grown and arranged, and how nice they look on the kitchen windowsill in her and Daichi’s apartment. It’s the reason he went in there in the first place, and he hasn’t bothered to change his reasoning since. So everyone in the shop thinks he goes there solely because Kiyoko wants him to.

 

Kiyoko is not the reason.

 

Sugawara Koushi is the reason.

 

Today, when Daichi finally plucks up the courage to go inside, he sees Suga setting out some more lotus flower arrangements and begins the internal lockdown drill. Suga is wearing a beautiful dark red sweater that’s rolled up to his elbows, with a white collared shirt underneath, and a pair of jeans that make Daichi want to drop to the floor and beg for mercy.

 

And then, upon hearing the tinkling of the bell above the door, Suga turns and gives Daichi a grin that could break worlds in half, and Daichi is ready for death.

 

“Good afternoon, Daichi!” he calls over his shoulder. “How are you today?”

 

Daichi smiles back, and hopes that he looks calmer on the outside than he is on the inside. “I’m good, Suga- how are you?”

 

“I’m great! Just fixing up some arrangements! We just got these out of the greenhouse, so Kiyoko-san should be very pleased by them.”

 

Daichi starts to make his way towards Suga, hands holding loosely onto the straps of his backpack, when Suga abandons the flowers to turn and fully face him. He’s wearing the super frilly apron that Daichi has only seen a few times before, and Daichi is so distracted by how cute it makes Suga look that he trips over a giant house plant sitting in his path.

 

The younger of the Tsukishima siblings comes out from the back just in time to see Daichi catch himself on the rim of the plant pot. He stares down at Daichi, with his plain apron and yellow sweater, and raises an eyebrow.

 

“Good afternoon, Daichi-san.” is all he says, pushing at his glasses, and Daichi considers fleeing.

 

“Good afternoon, Tsukishima. I’m stopping in for some more of the lotus flowers for Kiyoko.”

 

“Mmhm,” the taller man replies, and the tone of it alerts Daichi that Tsukishima thinks he’s a big fat liar.

 

Suga is giggling by the flowers, uncontrollable grin hidden behind his hand, and Daichi glares at him from where he’s still bent over. It’s playful, though, and he’s surprised that he allows himself to do it.

 

“I guess it’s a good thing that you work at the school library and not at a coffee shop, or someone would be suing or firing you right now.”

 

“The library? Oh.” Tsukishima adds in another of his two cents when Suga says this; he looks back at Daichi, at the tattoos covering his arms and the plugs in his ears and ring in his septum, and raises his other eyebrow. Like it’s an even bigger of a lie than Daichi buying flowers for a _girl_.

  


“We can’t all be pretty florists like you,” Daichi replies, straightening himself out.

 

Suga makes a small noise, and Daichi thinks about the words that just came out of his stupid mouth. He glances up from brushing the leaves off of his pants and sees that Suga has turned the color of an orchid. He feels his face heating up to match the other’s, and Tsukishima lets out a long-suffering sigh.

 

“I’m going to check on Asahi’s roses,” he tells them, and then disappears behind the door again.

 

The two sit through a few heartbeats of awkwardness, Daichi clutching at his backpack straps and Suga fiddling with his apron, and Daichi just wants to get his lotus flowers and get the fuck out of dodge. But in an attempt to repair the damage, he laughs awkwardly and tells Suga:

 

“I’m glad that Akiteru owns this shop or else you would never get any business.”

 

It works like a charm, and Suga snorts, easy smile back on his face.

 

“Tsukishima isn’t a bad person, Daichi- he’s just a little stiff around people he doesn’t know that well. You should see him when his boyfriend comes in after a long shift. He turns into a ray of sunshine.”

 

“No I don’t,” Tsukishima yells from somewhere in the back; Daichi can hear the subtle change in his voice, though, from cool to lukewarm, and it makes him grin.

 

“Alright. I guess I’ll just have to take your word for it.”

 

Daichi manages to make it to Suga without falling on his ass, and it sucks because Suga is even more beautiful up close, with his beauty mark and soft smile and wide eyes and _Daichi is really, really gay._

 

Suga reaches up to brush a stray leaf off of his shoulder, and while Daichi begins screaming internally, Suga just pats the spot fondly and turns to talk about the lotus arrangements he and Asahi have been working on. He keeps his hand there while gesturing with the other.

 

“We were scared that these wouldn’t bloom, like the roses Asahi’s been struggling with- you remember how I told you about those? The finicky ones that refuse to bloom? Anyways- but these turned out so well.”

 

Daichi has to agree; the petals on the lotuses are a delicate pink that lay perfectly on top of each other, and the centers are all a vibrant yellow that offset the pink beautifully. He knows that Kiyoko is going to love them, and says as much out loud.

 

“Kiyoko’s going to lose her mind, Suga.” He reaches out, pulls a bundle towards his nose, and inhales deeply. “These are gorgeous.”

 

Suga’s cheekbones turn a pink not unlike the lotus flowers, and he gives Daichi another sweet smile. “Thank you. We worked really hard and hoped really hard that they would turn out as well as they could, even though things weren’t looking so good.”

 

Daichi takes the arrangement he wants out of the cluster, and cradles it to his chest. Suga still has his hand on Daichi’s shoulder, and he moves it to gently pet at one of the petals. He looks so proud and so happy that Daichi nearly kisses him, despite being in a public store that also happens to be Suga’s place of employment.

 

Suga looks up, suddenly, as though coming out of a stupor, and he brings his hand back down to his side. “Let’s go get you rung up.”

 

Daichi follows him back to the register, and Suga hops behind the counter to ring the flowers up.

 

“That’ll be ¥1500.” Suga tells him, and then takes the bouquet from Daichi to wrap it up.

 

The end result is an arrangement of lotus flowers wrapped in green paper, and Daichi kind of adores them. He wants to buy them for his room instead of the kitchen.

 

“Thank you so much, Sugawara. They’re going to look amazing in the kitchen.”

 

Suga leans against the counter separating them, and he gives Daichi a smile that is not entirely genuine. “Kiyoko sure is lucky to have a man who cares about their decor.”

 

The comment catches him off guard more than the strained grin, and Daichi finds himself blurting out: “Kiyoko’s not my girlfriend.”

 

Suga looks taken aback (which is unfair, seeing as how he’s the one who made the assumption in the first place). “She's not?”

 

Tsukishima decides to make a reappearance then, emerging from the back, and he turns his infinite wisdom onto Suga instead of Daichi. “I could have told you that, Suga-san.”

 

Suga still looks confused, so Daichi adds: “We’re both gay, Suga. Also, Tsukishima, you can kiss my ass.”

 

Tsukishima’s face cracks open and for the first time ever, his laughter can be heard in every corner of the shop. It’s actually a really nice, warm laugh, even if the context behind it is not so nice. Daichi fights against another smile because he knows he should be angry at Tsukishima for being a presumptuous dick.

 

“I’m just talking from one gay to another.” Tsukishima chokes out, and then there are tears on his cheeks and he has to escape to the back once more.

 

Daichi and Suga watch him go, and Daichi decides that it’s his turn.

 

“I should probably get these home now,” he tells Suga, and tucks his change back into his wallet. “They really do look great. Thank you.”

 

Suga gives him his usual sunny grin. “I’m sure Kiyoko will still enjoy them, even if they’re not to sweep her off of her feet.”

 

The shorter man gives Daichi a cute wink, and Daichi has to get out of the shop before he collapses in it for real.

 

“I’m sure I could give them to Kiyoko's girlfriend, Yachi, and have her give them to Kiyoko. It would be the same thing except I wouldn’t be the one getting to make out with Kiyoko.”

 

Suga lets out another snort and hits Daichi playfully on the chest. “Leave not-your-girlfriend and her girlfriend alone.”

 

Daichi laughs and heads towards the door, holding the flowers close again. “Bye, Suga.”

 

He can’t resist one last look over at Suga- his dark sweater, his frilly apron, his messy hair, the beauty mark under his eye, his cute, cute glasses- and returning his sunny grin. Suga’s smile widens, and he waves after Daichi.

 

“Goodbye, Daichi. See you soon!”

 

_**~.~.~** _

 

Kiyoko knows when Daichi has gone to Tsukishima’s Tsubakis, and not because of the flowers. As soon as she makes it back from class and sees Daichi’s soft grin and dopey eyes, she calls him out on it. Every single goddamn time.

 

A few weeks after the Suga-wears-an-apron incident, Daichi replaces the lotus flowers again and Kiyoko cracks down.

 

“Daichi,” she starts, setting her bag down. “Just ask him out.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

He’s pretending to watch a baking show, but the faraway look in his eyes and that stupid smile give him away.

 

Kiyoko moves, standing akimbo in front of the TV full of bakers, and gives Daichi a look. He glances up at her, and he looks so in love that she wants to puke.

 

“Ask Suga out. I’m tired of coming home to you looking like a mess and never doing anything about it.”

 

The dreamy look leaves Daichi immediately, and he sits up on the couch. “Shimizu, I’m not going to ask him out. We don’t really even know each other. It’s just a dumb crush.”

 

“You know what his favorite food is, and what kind of coffee he gets down where Yachi works, and that he wants to be a professional florist for weddings and other parties, and that he shops mostly at Uniqlo so that’s where you’re planning to get him a gift card from for his birthday-”

 

“Okay, okay,” he cuts her off, holding his hands up in mock-surrender. “I get it. But I don’t think he likes me, so I’m not going to ask him out.”

 

Kiyoko makes a frustrated noise, and moves over to Daichi. He looks up at her as she approaches, septum ring twitching in fear, and she feels her septum hoop twitching back in exasperation.

 

Folding her body carefully, Kiyoko sits down next to her best friend; she wraps her arms around Daichi’s shoulders, rests their heads together, and lets out a sigh when Daichi hugs her back. They sit and watch the baking show for a few moments, and then Kiyoko goes in for the kill.

 

“Daichi, you’re one of the best people I known. You’re caring, and funny, and loving, and it seems like Sugawara is the same. You sound like you’d make a really great match.”

 

She can feel Daichi hesitating, so she gives his shoulders a hard, quick squeeze, and it works like magic.

 

“I really like him, Shimizu, and I don’t want to mess it up by making things awkward.”

 

She smiles at the TV softly. “Daichi, you’re not going to mess it up. If he doesn’t like you back- and I think he does, just for the record- then you can still be friends with him. Suga sounds like a kind person and someone who wouldn’t let a good friendship deteriorate just because of a confession.”

 

Daichi doesn’t say anything for a minute, and Kiyoko starts to worry that Daichi’s going to back out again, despite her encouraging words. But then he moves his head away to look at her, and smiles shyly.

 

“Okay.”

 

Kiyoko beams at him and Daichi continues.

 

“Okay. I’ll see if he wants to go and get coffee with me.”

 

She laughs. “Oh, so you can call me to come in while Yachi’s working and save you? You might be the best person I know, but you’re definitely not the smoothest.”

 

Daichi laughs back, and it vibrates all the way up Kiyoko’s side and settles into her soul. She loves him a lot and lets him know by pinching his shoulder.

 

“No. I’ll call you to come and watch me succeed in getting a boyfriend faster than you.”

 

“Yes, seeing as how I have a girlfriend.”

 

They giggle together, baking show forgotten, and Kiyoko feels pleased; she knows she spends a lot of time with Yachi, and Daichi doesn’t really have anyone else to hang out with, so the thought of him finally getting out and dating someone makes her immeasurably happy.

 

“Now you just have to actually go in and talk to him, so you’re not just all show.” Kiyoko reminds him, and Daichi groans, dropping his head down onto her shoulder.

 

“Dammit, Shimizu, you’re just making this worse.”

 

Kiyoko laughs again, and presses a kiss to Daichi’s forehead. “Shut up, you giant baby, and go get your man.”

 

She feels it when Daichi smiles against her shoulder and it makes her feel even warmer. She rubs her hand in between his shoulder blades and Daichi completely relaxes against her.

 

“Thanks,” he says quietly, and Kiyoko pats him on the back.

 

“Any time, Daich.”

 

They go back to watching and laughing at the baking show, happy to just be in each other’s company. And when they get hungry, Daichi takes them out for noodles and pays because Kiyoko is his saving grace and she knows it.

 

**_~.~.~_ **

 

Daichi doesn’t really have a set plan to woo Suga with and everybody knows it.

 

When asked, Daichi told Kiyoko that he was just going to go in and act like it was a normal flower purchasing day and then casually ask if Suga wanted to go and grab coffee with him the next day. Kiyoko had rolled her eyes and brained him with a gummy bear.

 

Despite Kiyoko’s unenthusiastic response, he’s sticking to the sort-of plan and hoping for the best.

 

Without fail, the sweats start up as soon as he sees the sign for Tsukishima’s Tsubakis, and he nervously twists the straps on his backpack. He tries to take a few deep breaths as he walks up to the front door, but it feels more like he’s hyperventilating, and wouldn’t _that_ be sweet if he passed out on the front steps of the flower shop he frequents? Suga may be fluttering over him, but Tsukishima would be the one calling for an ambulance and Daichi would never recover from knowing that Tsukishima had to call an emergency hotline because Daichi almost died over asking Suga out on a date.

 

Tsukishima must know about his disastrous plan, because he gives Daichi a look when he enters the store. It’s one with a raised eyebrow and slightly pursed lips, and Daichi almost wants to run back out and wait a few more months.

 

“G-good afternoon, Tsukishima.” he calls out, anyways, and makes himself walk towards the center of the store.

 

“Good afternoon.” the other man replies, unimpressed. “Suga-san is in the ba-”

 

A silver head comes racing out of the doorway Tsukishima is pointing at, and immediately Daichi’s heart begins to pound in his chest.

 

“Daichi!” Suga yells, and he’s grinning so widely that it must ache. “Asahi’s roses bloomed!”

 

Daichi is slightly taken aback, but he recovers enough to say “They did? That’s great!”

 

Suga nods and he runs over to Daichi. He reaches out and grabs Daichi’s hand, pulling him back towards the doorway. “C’mon, I have to show them to you. They’re gorgeous!”

 

If Tsukishima disagrees with having customers behind the counter, he doesn’t say anything; he just goes back to poking at the register and writing stuff down in a journal, but his raised eyebrow says everything.

 

Suga pulls him along to the greenhouse that sits behind the store part of Tsukishima’s Tsubakis, and Daichi feels kind of cool because no one but the employees get to be back here. But mostly he’s just concentrating on the feeling of Suga’s hand in his own, and about how he’s about to ask out the sweetest person he’s ever met.

 

When they get to the greenhouse, the first thing Daichi notices is the humidity and his instant regret of wearing a beanie for the day. But then he notices all of the really beautiful flowers potted and growing in different parts of the greenhouse, and how alive the building looks. It smells wonderful and earthy, and Daichi never wants to leave.

 

“They’re over here,” Suga tells him, and gently pulls him along to the left side of the room.

 

When they come to stand in front of the roses, Daichi has to stop and catch his breath. There are probably two hundred roses clustered together, and their potent yet sweet smell hits Daichi like a brick wall. They’re all a beautiful dark, blood red, and shaped perfectly, and Daichi would pay hundreds for them.

 

“They’re beautiful.” he says quietly, and Suga hasn’t let go of his hand yet, so he gives it a squeeze. “How did Asahi do this?”

 

Suga giggles, reaching out to touch one of the petals. “No one knows. It was probably just all of the love he gave them. You know how I told you they kept kind of blooming and then shrinking back inside themselves and drooping? We almost gave up on them, but Asahi thought he could save them and make them magnificent. And he was right.”

 

He extracts his hand from Daichi’s, finally, and leans forwards to gather up a pot of the roses. He looks just as gorgeous as the roses, with an emerald green sweater on and his tortoise shell glasses bringing out the gold in his eyes. Daichi is finding is hard to breathe, and the humidity of the greenhouse is not helping at all.

 

“They smell divine.” Suga puts them up to his nose and inhales, deep and cute, and Daichi doesn’t think he’s going to make it to a coffee date. He looks unearthly with the sun leaking in through the ceiling and illuminating his hair and face. “Want to smell?”

 

Then Suga does the worst thing he could possibly do, and looks up into Daichi’s eyes with a big, beautiful smile on his face. He’s holding those stunning roses under his chin, half grinning, with the sun lighting him on fire, and Daichi is done.

 

Carefully, he takes the roses out of Suga’s arms and ignores his confused “Daichi?” in favor of pulling him close and kissing the hell out of him.

 

Suga makes a surprised noise against Daichi’s mouth, and Daichi kind of regrets just going for it, and god, what if Suga doesn’t like him, and Kiyoko was wrong, and he just really fucked this up-

 

But then Suga kind of moans, quiet and hopeless, and reaches up to pull Daichi closer by his shoulders. His hands curl in the fabric of Daichi’s shirt, and Daichi can feel the warmth of his skin seeping into his own, and he is so dizzy with affection and desire that he almost knocks Suga back into the table holding the roses. His lips are soft and sweet, just like the rest of him, and just as intoxicating as when they're turned up in a smile. Daichi lets his fingers move to curl into the hairs at the base of Suga's neck, pull him in closer and deeper, and Suga makes another pleased noise. 

 

The kiss ends naturally, and they hold onto each other for support, breath labored and unsteady. Suga blinks up at him with his big, brown eyes and Daichi just wants to kiss him again and again and again.

 

“Um,” Suga starts, patting at Daichi’s chest. “That was… Unexpected.”

 

Daichi laughs, nervous and low, and his hands are still cupped around Suga’s warm cheeks. “I, uh. You’re really cute. And I’ve wanted to kiss you basically since the first day I saw you putting out those lotus flowers.”

 

Suga stares, silently, and Daichi’s still scared he messed it all up.

 

But then Suga laugh, bright and dazzling as always, and Daichi feels the knot in his chest fall away.

 

“I never thought you would.” the shorter man titterrs. “God, Daichi, do you even know how hot you are?”

 

The laughter that punches out of Daichi is a surprised bark, and Suga laughs even harder upon hearing it. They probably look like idiots, but Daichi could not possibly care less, and Suga must agree because he just pulls Daichi down to kiss him again.

 

“Do you want to go get coffee sometime?” Daichi asks, after a few more kisses and a lot of smoothing his thumbs over Suga’s cheeks.

 

Suga beams up at him. “I get out at five every weekday. You pick, you dork.”

 

When they make it out of the greenhouse, a bouquet of the roses and Suga’s phone number bundled up against his chest, Tsukishima gives them a funny look and says “Finally, you idiots,” and refuses to accept Daichi’s money for the roses.

 

On his way out, Suga gives him another smiley kiss and Daichi practically floats home.

 

_**~.~.~** _

 

When Kiyoko comes home and sees roses instead of lotuses, she screams and runs to where Daichi is sitting on their couch with a whoop.

 

“You’re not a loser anymore!” she shouts, and tackles him back into the cushions.

 

Daichi has no choice but to yell back in agreement, and pull her into a crushing hug.


End file.
